Category: Fantasy Basketball (Page 250 of 274)

Even without Andrew Bynum, the Lakers were able to beat the new-look Suns in Phoenix, 130-124, to spoil Shaquille O’Neal’s debut.

Kobe stuffed the box score with 41 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, while Pau Gasol chipped in with 29. Shaq had 15 points and nine boards, but his presence certainly helped Amare Stoudemire, who posted 37 points and 15 rebounds.

Kobe’s outburst underscores the loss of Shawn Marion, who provided good perimeter and interior defense. Phoenix was already bad defensively and without Marion they’re worse.

According to Marc Stein, the Cavs and Bulls were talking before the trade deadine about making a major deal.

Two of my most plugged-in sources say that the big trade Cleveland is pursuing, as our good friend Brian Windhorst warned us about in his Akron Beacon Journal blog, is a multiplayer exchange that would bring Ben Wallace to the Cavs.

We have not been apprised that any deal is close nor have we received a reliable read on the Bulls’ level of interest, but we have been assured that it is being discussed: Wallace and teammates Chris Duhon and Joe Smith heading to Cleveland in exchange for a package headlined by Drew Gooden … and Larry Hughes.

It also could be done with several other Cavs in Hughes’ place, so we’ll have to see if the Bulls simply pass, push for an alternative scenario or accept Hughes and allow Cleveland to proceed to Part 2.

Cleveland’s other 11th-hour trade target to hearten LeBron James, after Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby landed elsewhere, is Seattle’s Wally Szczerbiak, who holds appeal for LeBron’s Cavs as a deadeye shooter and as a college-ball legend in Ohio.

It appears that the Cavs’ preference is scoring Wallace first and then trying to add Szczerbiak. But the Cavs’ usual obstacle — they have only three expiring contracts (Ira Newble, Devin Brown and Shannon Brown) totaling not even half of the $13.3 million owed Wally next season to package with Donyell Marshall — makes a successful play for Wally difficult even if the Wallace stuff doesn’t go any farther.

We haven’t heard anything yet, but it’s possible that a trade is indeed complete. It takes time for the league to approve the deal and for the news to break.

If the trade with Chicago went through as described – Wallace, Duhon and Smith for Gooden and Hughes – it would be close to a wash salary wise. Both Wallace and Hughes have bad contracts that expire in two more years. In Duhon, the Cavs would get a solid point guard who can shoot the long ball. Still, I don’t like this trade for the Cavs. Gooden is a capable inside scorer while Wallace’s productiion has dipped; he’s posting 5.1 points and 8.8 rebounds, while shooting a dreadful 37.3% from the field. He is 33 and it appears that he has hit a wall. The trade doesn’t provide any salary cap relief, either.

The Szczerbiak deal is a little more interesting, though he and LeBron play essentially the same position. When he feels like it, LeBron is capable of guarding a shooting guard, so he and Wally could see court time together. With Szczerbiak and Gibson spacing the court, defenses would be hard pressed to double LeBron.

Memphis GM Chris Wallace is a strange cat.

Wallace wouldn’t talk specifically about trades the team was considering but cautioned that he isn’t in a fire-sale mode of operation. Teams have routinely approached the Griz with below-value offers with the notion that players can be had strictly for draft picks and expiring contracts.

While Wallace admits that he’s never fielded so many phone calls at this time of year, many of them he’s deemed unnecessary.

“Contrary to popular opinion, we’re not trying to strip the thing down to bargain-basement financially,” Wallace said. “We’re not looking to shed money. There has to be a basketball element to these deals.”

Okay, Chris, explain the “basketball element” to giving Pau Gasol to a conference foe for an unproven rookie and a late first round draft pick. Why would anyone think your team is in fire sale mode?

The trade deadline is today, but in a deal yesterday, the Spurs acquired Kurt Thomas from the Sonics. In return, Seattle receives Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a 2009 first round pick.

“We need things that they don’t and they need things that may not fit here right now,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “Hopefully the addition of Kurt will strengthen our playoff push.”

“I think the landscape of the West has put a premium on interior defense,” Buford said. “Now with the trades of recent days, that’s only improved.”

Thomas was the odd man out in Seattle as soon as the team decided to give Robert Swift more minutes. All three players have expiring contracts, so there’s no real salary cap advantage for either team. The Sonics are stockpiling young players and picks, and saw an opportunity to get another first round pick for Thomas. Ironically, when the Suns initially traded Thomas to Seattle, they also included two first round picks, so the Sonics have now garnered three first round picks for taking on Thomas’ $8 million salary for a season. They’ll likely use these multiple picks to move up in future drafts. It will be interesting to see how this strategy pans out.

As Buford mentioned, this move was a response to the Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal trades made by the Lakers and Suns, respectively. Thomas’ job will be to defend big bodies so that Tim Duncan doesn’t have to. For a time, it looked as if Elson would fill that role, but he wasn’t able to get much traction in San Antonio. The Spurs will miss Barry’s sharpshooting; he’s one of the best three-point specialists in the game. I think this move is a vote of confidence for Ime Udoka, who should see increased playing time off the bench.

I would have liked to have seen the Spurs use Barry and Elson to trade for Mike Miller, who is on the trading block in Memphis. But they chose size over offense in Thomas.

I’ve never been a big fan of Peter Vecsey; half the time I think he’s making stuff up like that reporter on “The Wire.” But he has some thoughts on why the Mavs traded for Kidd, and it has to do with Avery Johnson’s distaste for Dirk Nowitzki as a leader.

According to an infallible source, the Mavericks’ coach pressed team owner Mark Cuban to deal Dirk after the NBA’s MVP came up shamefully small against the Warriors in last season’s upsetting first-round elimination, but was overruled.

Johnson’s ideal leader is supposed to offer positive guidance and counsel on and off the court, as well as in and out of church. That disqualifies Kidd. Still, one sphere of influence is better than none. Convinced a championship is otherwise beyond capture, Avery compromised his primary concern.

Kidd, of course, will provide a stronger presence than Harris, meaning A.J. will allow him to be the PG instead of trying to be it himself. Therefore, the players will have more comfort and confidence in the PG.

If it’s true, that’s pretty ballsy of Avery, to ask Cuban to deal Nowitzki.